Pad Thai w/ Tofu & Vegetables

In terms of flavor, this turned out better than the restaurant version! Less overwhelmingly sweet, and with a really good depth of flavor despite the relatively simple flavorings. The only problem was the texture - we made the mistake of using extra-firm tofu and these really thick spaghetti-shaped rice noodles, which i undercooked slightly... resulting in pad thai that took a LOT of chewing. next time i'll use firm tofu and invest in some of the thin, flat rice noodles that you're supposed to use. When you make this you can omit the vegies and sub in shrimps or chickens for the tofus if you want (i assume you can marinate meat in the same liquid as you marinate tofu? i have no idea how meat works.)

Pad Thai w/ Tofu & Vegetables

1 block firm tofu, drained and cubed

8 oz flat rice noodles

~1/2 cup soy sauce

~1/4 cup dark brown sugar

juice of 1 - 2 limes (to taste)

2 big garlic cloves, minced

1 squirt sriracha

~ 5 scallions

~2 large eggs

~1 cup vegies of your choice - i used broccoli and carrots, cabbage would be good too

a bunch of cilantro

1/2 c peanuts, crushed up

Dry the tofu using this super cool, no-pressing method: put all of your cubes in a single layer in a non-stick pan and put it on medium heat. press em a little to sizzle out all of the water. flip em when they're golden and do the same on the other side. Mix the soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, garlic, and sriracha (a food processor makes this very easy), put the tofu in a plastic bag or bowl, and cover with the sauce. Soak for about an hour.

Either soak or boil your rice noodles until they're mostly done but not soft.

Heat up a little bit of butter in a big, deep pan or wok. mince the white parts of your scallions and toss them in. once they get fragrant, turn the heat down a bit and add your eggs. scramble them with the scallions until no longer liquid but still soft. scrape em out of the pan and add a bit of oil, turning the heat back up. toss in your veggies, stir-fry until soft, and move them out of the plan. add a bit more oil in necessary. drain the tofu cubes - save the sauce! - and fry them until crispy. take them out. now toss in your noodles, plus the sauce and 1/2 of the peanuts, and cook until the noodles absorb some of the sauce and are soft. add the eggs, tofu, and vegies back in and cook another minute.

Garnish with the green parts of the scallions, extra peanuts, and the cilantro. Enjoy!